A Wilde Ride
by Rhofawx
Summary: Nick and Judy's relationship begins!
1. Chapter 1

**A Wilde Ride**

Chapter One

Soccer. She had to be a soccer fan, Nick thought, looking at the bunny in the passenger seat next to him. She was dressed in an oversize jersey, with face paint and a comically oversize foam finger. Seems like everyone in Zootopia is a soccer fan except me. He was going to decline when the ZPD told him they had seven free tickets to the game, but when Judy asked him to go he said yes. He'd do anything for that bunny, not that she knew it. Or that he knew it until recently. Sure, they had been good friends once she convinced him to join the Force, and he certainly saw her enough, considering they were partners, but recently his feeling had changed. He always thought about her, constantly catching himself staring at her, and wishing he could run his hands down her ears, or sometimes down her back and then- he quickly shook his head to rid himself of those thoughts, lest Judy see his blush. He had been depressed lately, because he knew he didn't feel the same way. Sure, she hugged him a lot, and sure she always smiled when she saw him, but that's what friends did, right? He had never had many friends, so he wasn't sure what was normal, much less normal for these "emotional" bunnies. He sighed quietly, and pulled into the stadium traffic, waiting to park.

Judy was ecstatic. A soccer game! Her favorite team, the Carrot Crushers were set to take on the Real Cheetahs. She loved soccer with a passion, being an avid player herself and growing up on the sport. But her excitement had another reason. Nick had agreed to come to the game with her! Nick hated soccer, but the fact that he came meant he just wanted to spend time with her. At least, that's what she hoped. She had been struggling with feelings she couldn't identify lately, and the stares from Nick when he thought she wasn't looking weren't helping. She felt like she wanted to be more than friends with Nick. She loved the way his fur smelled, and the way he laughed, although she would never admit it to him. She turned to beam at him in excitement, only to see him sigh and slump in his seat a little. She kept her smile on her face but inside she was scared. Oh no, he doesn't want to be here with me. He hates this, he hates me, he's never gonna hang out with me again! She thought. She took a deep breath and pushed those thought from her mind. I'm sure it's not that big of a deal, she thought, as they turned into the parking lot.

In the stadium, they found their seats, helped by a waving Clawhauser and Chief Bogo. Judy and Nick waved back, as Judy went to the seats, and Nick went to get refreshments. After a few minutes, Nick came back with two packages wrapped in tinfoil and two large cups with straws. Nick unwrapped an Italian sausage with spicy mustard and took a bite. He handed Judy the other package and she looked at him, confused, he knew she was an herbivore. She unwrapped the package to see a deep fried carrot, covered in powdered sugar and cinnamon. She gasped and hugged Nick, who laughed and patted her head.

"I didn't forget you, Carrots."

She took a swig out of his cup and grimaced at the super sugary taste of fox-a-cola. She took a sip from her own straw to find a blueberry smoothie, her favorite. She had never told Nick that they were her favorite, so she took it as a lucky guess. She forgot everything else as the game started, screaming along with the best of them.

Nick spent most of his time watching Judy during the game, a goofy smile on his face that he couldn't seem to get rid of, even when Clawhauser look over and winked at him because of his goofy look. As Halftime rolled around though, he perked up and looked around. The one thing he did really enjoy about these things was the Kiss-Cam. He loved to see the awkward faces of couples, and he also enjoyed the genuinely happy couples who kissed immediately. As the Kiss-Cam came around, he pointed and laughed at the couples and awwwed (on the inside of course) at the cuter couples. He looked down at his phone for a moment only to hear Clawhauser squeal and Judy's paw grip his arm extremely tightly. He looked up, knowing what the commotion was before he even saw the Jumbo-Tron. He and Judy were smack dab in the middle of the kiss cam. They looked at each other, each wondering what the other would do. Suddenly they felt their faces pressed together by an enthusiastic Clawhauser behind them the quickly went for a peck on the lips, and then froze as their lips met. Judy let out a sigh and Nick grabbed her and pulled her to him in a deep passionate kiss. After a brief eternity they were brought back to reality by Clawhauser's squeals. Nick coughed and excused himself to the bathroom.

Judy flopped back in her seat, winded. The game started back up, but Judy barely noticed. She had kissed Nick! And he had kissed her BACK! He put a paw to her mouth, gently remembering the warmth and taste of his lips. Where had he learned to kiss like that?

Nick slumped against the wall in the restroom, a stupid grin on his face. He had kissed her! And, as far as he could tell, she had kissed him back! He could jump and shout for joy! He had kissed her!

After the game, Judy and Nick got back in Nicks car, waving to the Chief and Clawhauser, who sighed and waved back. Nick saw Bogo hand Clawhauser some money and shake his head as they drove off.

It was a quiet ride, Nick and Judy each absorbed in their thoughts. Nick began to worry as they neared Judy's apartment. What if it was just the peer pressure? Nick thought. What if she didn't really want to kiss me and was just acting for the camera? Oh no, I've ruined our friendship and she'll never know how I feel about her! Nick was quiet as the pulled up to Judy's apartment complex. Judy got out and said

"Thanks for coming Nick. I had a really great time."

"Anytime, Carrots. I'd do anything for you" He started. I did NOT just say that out loud, nick thought. He looked over at Judy and saw a mild look of surprise on her face. She closed the door and nick slumped. I've ruined this whole thing, he thought. A tap on his window made him open his eyes. He was surprised to see Judy standing there. He rolled down the window and gave her a questioning look.

"I... ah, I was wondering i-if you c-could walk me to my d-door?" Judy stuttered, pulling on her ears nervously.

Nick smiled. "I would love to."

As they walked up the stairs, Judy took Nicks paw in hers, and turned to face him at her door.

"Nick, I… I don't know how to say this but, I…" She trailed off, unsure of what to say. She gasped in surprise as Nick grabbed her and pulled her into a passionate kiss. They broke off after a long moment and Nick sighed in Judy's ear.

"I love you, Carrots." He said, pulling her chin up gently to look in her eyes. "I do. I have for a while and I never thought of how to say it. I don't want to ruin our friendship, in case you don't feel the same about me, but I can't hold it in anymore. I can't. I love you."

"Oh Nick, I love you too!" Judy cried and pulled him in for another kiss. God he is an amazing kisser! She thought to herself as they broke off again.

"I got to ask something, kinda embarrassing, really" Nick said, looking at the ground and shuffling his feet.

"What? You can always ask me anything."

"Well…. Am... Am I a good kisser?"

Judy burst out laughing and Nick's heart sank.

"Nick you are the best kisser I have ever had the privilege to lay my lips on."

"Whew, that's good to hear. I mean, the kiss at the game today was my first kiss so I was nervous…"

"There is no way that was your first kiss"

"It was. I was never much of a ladies man."

"I don't believe you"

"It's true. I never had many friends at all; much less people who wanted to kiss me'

"Well, I am honored to be the first, and I will tell you that you are an amazing kisser."

Nick beamed. "Well thanks. But it is getting late and Bogo will have our heads if we are late tomorrow. One for the road?" he shot her a sly wink.

"You can kiss me anytime. Just keep them to a minimum in public please."

"I can do that"

She grabbed his tie and pulled him in close for a long passionate kiss, neither of them wanting to let go. When they finally broke it off Nick pulled her close and whispered in her ear.

"I love you Judy"

"I love you too Nick."

 **Well, that's the end of the first chapter of Fanfic I've ever written. More will follow!**

 **~Rho**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Man, am I glad she gave me a list, Nick thought, as he pulled into the parking lot of the supermarket. He and Judy had moved in together about a month after their first kiss, and he had never been happier. HE knew some people frowned upon his dating a bunny, calling him a "freak", or telling him that he was a terrible person for dragging such a sweet bunny into his twisted fantasies. He didn't much care, really. Judy had taken the insults harder than he had, often becoming angry and tearful at his expense. When you'd worked the hustle game as long as Nick had, you developed a pretty thick skin. But some things were hard to adjust to. The difference in diet being one of the main ones. Nick had never known there were so many ways to cook vegetables, much less that that many vegetables existed. His diet was pretty simple, mostly grasshoppers and fish, with the occasional potato or salad thrown in. Because of this, Judy always did the grocery shopping, making things simple. She knew what she liked to eat, and what he did, better than anyone. Nick never was good at remembering all that she could eat, with her herbivore dietary needs. That's why when Judy got called in on a case, and she told him to go grocery shopping, he asked her to write a detailed list of what she needed. Surprisingly enough, there were only a few specific items on the list he didn't remember on his own, and they weren't that expensive either. The shopping was uneventful until Nick was walking to his car, pushing his cart and heard a voice call his name from across the lot.

"Nick? Nick Wilde? Is that you? I haven't seen you in years!" Nick turned around warily as another fox walked towards him. The fox was of medium height, and a darker red than most he had seen. He was dressed well, but not fancily, in a pair of jeans and a light cotton V-neck. He looked vaguely familiar, and considering Nicks background, that wasn't necessarily a good thing.

"Nick! It's good to see you! Don't you remember me?"

"Wait, Ron?!" Nick said, stopping the cart by his car as the other fox met him there. "Long time no see! You look good!"

"Hah, you don't look to shabby yourself! You've put on some muscle! And, you're doing your own grocery shopping? You used to just live off Bugga Burgers when I knew you!"

"Yeah, well I've gone through some pretty big life changes, that's for sure. New job, new girlfriend, new outlook on life, that sort of thing."

Ron looked into the bags and did a double take at the large amounts of carrots nick had bought.

"Whoa nick, that's a lot of carrots! Almost like you live with a bunny!" Ron laughed and looked at nick, expecting him to laugh too. When nick smiled sheepishly Ron gaped.

"No! You are! That's great! Man, I never would've seen that coming. Is she a friend or…?" Ron trailed off.

"Well, you know that… uh….. That new girlfriend I mentioned?"

"You're dating a bunny! Man you have changed and I'd for sure say for the better. Tell you what, you two come to dinner next week, and I'll introduce you to the wife. She makes the quiche, I'll tell you what. What day works best?"

"Well, we both don't work Friday night, so barring an emergency, that should work."

"Excellent! I'll tell Mitchie. Good seeing you man! I'll see you Friday!"

Nick smiled as Ron walked off, glad to see someone he knew.

 **Friday Night**

"Who is this again?" Judy asked, as she dressed for the dinner.

"I told you, an old buddy of mine I met shopping earlier this week. And don't give me that look, he's from the less shady side of my past. He's never hustled anyone in his life."

Judy chuckled, having had to stop herself from making a skeptical face at the same time nick told her not to, even though he was in the other room. He knew her so well. She was excited to wear her blue dress, and meet someone from Nicks past. She knew a lot about him know, but she still didn't know much about his past. Always pragmatic, Nick never liked to talk about it much. It was one of the things that had caused some tension between them. To be honest, Judy thought to herself, this dinner will be great. Nick and I need to get out of the house and relax. Tensions had been high as they go used to each other, the vast differences in their lifestyles taking some time to get used to. Predator and prey, messy and tidy, relaxed and stressful, they were opposites in so many things. Judy knew she loved him, and she knew he loved her, but there were days when it was just so HARD to not just yell at him for all the little things.

"Ready yet Carrots?" Nick came in wearing a light blue button down shirt, khaki dress pants, and a khaki vest, his tie, the same color as her dress, untied and hanging loose around his neck. His fur on his head was ruffled lightly, forming a stark contrast to the crisp clean lines of his clothes. Judy's breath caught in her throat. She hadn't known nick even OWNED dress clothes, much less that he could clean up so nice. He saw her staring and laughed.

"What's with the look of surprise?"

"I...ahm..." Judy cleared her throat, embarrassed at the squeak in her voice. "I've just never seen you dress like that."

"Haha, well it doesn't happen often, so savor it. You look fantastic."

Judy blushed. She had bought this dress a long time ago and had never gotten the chance to wear it. It was soft blue silk, cut modestly around the bust, but it hugged the curve of her hips and stopped just above her knees. She had on a simple silver necklace and her earring were blue sapphire drops, the same deep blue as the dress. She looked at nicks tie and marveled that he had found a match, especially considering he had never seen this dress before. Nick came over and gave her a quick peck on the lips, before walking out of the room.

"C'mon Carrots, we are gonna be late!" Nick paused by the mirror in his own bathroom to brush his teeth and tie his tie. He met Judy in the hallway and they drove to Ron's house. As they pulled into the drive, Judy was nervous.

"What if he doesn't like that I'm a bunny?" she asked Nick.

"Oh, he already knows. He guessed it from all the carrots I was buying."

"He didn't seem to mind?"

"No, he thought it was funny actually. He invited us over after he found out, so I guess that means he's fine with it."

'Alright. If you say so."

The door was pulled open just as they rang the doorbell, by a graceful grey tabby. She had on glasses, and was dressed in a green sparkly dress, just as modest as Judy's.

"Oh. Um. I'm sorry but I think we have the wrong house" Nick said, with a confused look on his face.

"Oh! You must be Nick! Ron is just putting on his tie, he'll be down shortly." The tabby said brightly, ushering them inside the well-lit house. Judy shot Nick a confused look, to which Nick responded with an equally confused look and a shrug.

"I'm Mitchie, Ron's wife. He's told me quite a bit about you Nick, but he failed to mention that you're date was this pretty!"

"That's because I knew nothing about her," Ron said, coming around the corner. He sputtered a bit as Mitchie ran her fluffy tail across his nose, with her back still turned to him. "You know I hate it when you do that."

"Of course dear, that why I do it every chance I get" Mitchie replied with a wink towards Judy. She yelped and spun, her fur fluffing out in all directions as Ron grabbed her waist and tickled her quickly. "Hey!" she said, glaring at him. He shrugged and laughed.

"You started it. Enough though, let's get these two sat down with a drink, and see if we can clear up the confusion I can see on their faces."

Nick and Judy were lead to a parlor room, with some comfortable couches and a large grand piano in the middle of the room. Ron brought Nick a glass of scotch, and surprised Judy with a lovely carrot wine in a smaller glass.

"I told you id introduce you to my wife nick. I just didn't think she'd beat me to the door." Ron said, in response to Nicks still puzzled look.

"That's why you laughed when I told you I was dating a bunny! It's because you're married to a cat!"

Ron nodded. "I never did get your name." he said, turning to Judy.

"Oh, it's Judy. Judy Hopps."

"Ron Parson. And this is my lovely wife, Michelle, Mitchie for short. Nick it's, been so long since I've seen you! Tell us about you, and especially about her."

As nick went into the story of how they met, Ron and Mitchie smiled wider and wider.

Mitchie spoke up, "You wouldn't happen to be Judy Hopps, the first Rabbit ZPD officer would you? THAT Judy Hopps?"

"I am."

Ron burst into laughter at this. "Nick! I can't believe it. A conman like you, dating a cop. How's she feel about your jobs that you pull?"

"Well, I don't pull jobs anymore actually."

"Really? What do you do then?" Ron asked, curious.

"…I… I'm actually her partner at the ZPD. I'm their first Fox officer." Nick said, hesitantly.

"Hah! You were always a funny guy. I love your jokes man." Ron laughed, holding his sides and shaking his head, right up until Nick pulled out his badge, and handed it to him.

"You weren't kidding! I never thought I'd see the day you ever even liked a cop, much less became one! That's what you meant when you said you had some major life changes! Well, I am happy for you man, I really am. Glad you could join us on the straight and narrow."

"Well, you're more of a crook than I am now" Nick laughed back. "He's a lawyer, one of the more decent ones you'll meet." He explained to Judy. Judy laughed and smiled.

"Well I don't really mean to pry, but how are things in your relationship?" Ron asked, after a few minutes of small talk.

"Well, it's good. Some things are hard to get used to but we are working through them." Judy said, Nick nodding in agreement.

"Ah, I understand. Truth be told, that's part of the reason I invited you over. Mitchie and I know from experience how hard interspecies relationships can be. But we've been married for 6 years, and we dated for two years before that. I know you just met us, and in Nick's case, just reacquainted with me, but if you ever need to vent, or need advice, you are more than willing to call us." Ron said, Mitchie nodding along.

"Especially if you need advice on how to survive a fox's messy habits" Mitchie said in a stage whisper to Judy. Judy laughed and the indignant noises from both nick and Ron and replied.

"Oh I would love some. It's a real hassle sometimes." Mitchie laughed. Ron and nick smiled, glad the two ladies were making friends.

"Let's have some entertainment!" Ron said, refilling his glass and Nicks. "Nick, do you still play?"

"I haven't in years, Ron. I'm pretty rusty."

"Play what?" Judy asked, looking confusedly at Nick and Ron.

"He hasn't told you? Nick here was one of the best piano players I've ever heard." Ron said.

"Who nick? I don't believe you." Judy scoffed. Nick smiled.

"It's true, Carrots. I was pretty good. It's been a while though."

"You have to play something!" Judy said, her eyes filling with excitement. She somehow manages to look both adorable and mocking at the same time, Nick thought to himself.

"Alright alright ill play. It's been six or seven years since I've played though, so bear with me."

Nick walked over to the piano and lifted the cover off the keys. He sat down and unbuttoned his sleeves. He cracked his knuckles and sighed softly. He put his hands to the keys and paused.

"What would you like to hear?"

"Play something that means a lot to you." Judy said eager to get a glimpse into Nick's softer side.

He smiled sadly. "Alright, but it's kind of sad."

He sighed and moved his fingers through the air, remembering the chords. Then he began to play.

It started soft, and mellow. Lots of G and C minor. It quickly rose in speed and complexity, point and counterpoint, harmony and melody weaving together in the key of A minor. It was, simply put, beautiful. Beautiful and sad. Judy felt tears in her eyes and looked over to see Ron and Mitchie tearing up as well. Nick played, his back straight, hands a blur, and Judy marveled to see a tear flow down his cheek and land on his lap. The song changed. It seemed warmer now. Warm, but still sad, as if remembering good times with someone long past. The music spoke of love, and loss. Of warmth and emptiness, all weaving together seamlessly and soft. The music slowed, and finally stopped on a lingering chord, as if a question lay unanswered. Nick took a deep breath and turned to the others, a soft, sad smile on his face. He cleared his throat, and when no one spoke after a moment he asked

"Well? How was it?"

Judy stood up and threw herself into his arms, nearly knocking him off his stool.

"Oh Nick that was beautiful! I can't believe you never told me you could play like that!"

"I'd almost forgotten that I could."

"What song was that? I've never heard it." Ron asked, after he cleared his throat too.

"I wrote it."

"Wrote that?!" Judy said, nearly speechless. "It was amazing! But so sad. Why did you play that one?"

"You told me to play something that meant a lot to me. So I did."

"What is that song about? It seemed to mean something very specific to you."

"Yes. It does. It's the piece I wrote for my mother's funeral."

Silence.

"Oh nick." Judy whispered, pulling him close, and wiping a tear from his eye.

Judy and Nick left soon after that, saying that they needed to be up early for work. Ron and Mitchie said they understood, and they gave their phone numbers to both nick and Judy, telling them not to be strangers, and to call or text whenever they felt like it. With multiple promises that they would, Nick and Judy left. The ride home was a somber one, Nick uncharacteristically quiet, and Judy occupied with her thoughts.

"Nick?" Judy finally broke the silence. "Can… can you tell me about your song?"

"My mother died about eight years ago. I never really knew my father. I hadn't seen my mother much, trying to keep her safe if something went wrong with a job. I got a message that she was ill, and that she wanted to see me. I mean, I couldn't not see her, y'know?" Nick was rambling now, but Judy had never seen him talk this much about himself so she let him talk. "I walked into her room at the hospital and it's like I didn't even know the woman on the bed. She had always been strong, and lively, telling me to do my best and try everything. She could barely lift her head. She told me she didn't have long to live, and she wanted me to play a piece at her funeral. I said yes. So I wrote that. It doesn't have a name, because I think you can't really name grief. I tried to capture her warmth, and the gap she left in my life when she was gone. I couldn't figure a good way to end the piece so I just stopped writing. It reminded me of how I felt when she died. All I could think was 'What now?'" His breath caught and he began to sob quietly. He parked the car in their driveway and sobbed quietly into his hands. Judy unbuckled herself and crawled into his lap, taking his face in her hands and kissing him lightly on the nose.

"She was one of the only people I knew that loved me for everything about me. No matter what I did, I knew she wouldn't love me less. And when she was gone, I didn't know what to do." He took a deep breath and pulled Judy into a fierce hug, surprising her. This wasn't the nick she knew, always cool and collected. He sobbed gently into her shoulder and whispered "that's how I feel about you Judy. You make me feel like nothing I do could make you love me less. And you just don't know how much that means."

"I will always, ALWAYS be there for you nick. I love you. You are the best person I have ever met, and I will never let you go. You're perfect."

"I am now that I have you."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three.

It had been a somber week, as Judy digested everything nick had revealed at the dinner with Ron and Mitchie. Nick hadn't been himself either. HE kept up his usual antics at work, and no one seemed to notice anything different about him. Judy did though. Now every time she looked at him she could see the sadness in his movements. At home, he was quieter than usual, often lost in his head. Judy decided she needed to cheer him up, and show him that she didn't think worse or less of him. She needed to show him how much MORE she loved him because of his scars. So she started scheming.

Apparently living with a fox had made her craftier than she could have imagined. She spent two days planning, and plotting, and doing errands behind Nicks back. She convinced Chief Bogo to let her have half a day off, and keep nick the full day, so she could implement her surprise. Nick seemed curious that their schedules didn't line up, as they had every day since they had moved in. HE offered to drop her off at the apartment, but she declined, claiming she had errands to run. And she did, so it wasn't a lie, technically. As she walked home, she took a few detours, stopping to buy the ingredients for nicks favorite dinner, cricket crusted salmon, and fried pickles. She shook her head as always at the strange tastes nick had, and bought the ingredients for her carrot fricassee and spinach casserole. She had changed out of her police gear for her second errand, stopping in tundra town to speak to Kevin, one of the polar bear guards that worked for Mr. Big. After a few short words, Kevin walked into the building and came out with a small foam cooler in a bag. He handed it to Judy and winked, as she thanked him profusely. She got back to the apartment with two hours to spare and quickly got to work.

Nick stopped abruptly at the door to their apartment, listening to the sounds coming from behind the door. It sounded like his favorite band, The Artic Monkeys, but the only person in there was Judy, and she hated their music. He took a deep breath and his mouth watered as he smelled amazing food from behind the door. He went inside, and his jaw dropped as he saw a beautiful meal set on the small table, with glasses of his favorite wine and candles as the only light on the table. Judy smiled brightly as his amazed look, knowing she had surprised him, which was quite hard to do.

"Is that cricket-crusted salmon? And that expensive red moscato from the rainforest district?" Nick asked, sitting at the table as Judy turned the music down. She turned to look at him and her breath caught in her throat. He looked so happy, and so full of love, gently lit by the flicker light of the candle. She had never seen him look so content, or handsome for that matter.

"Mhmm! I know you've been down since dinner with Mitchie and Ron, so I wanted to surprise you with your favorite dinner."

"Oh my god Judy, this looks amazing! But we can't afford this wine, at least not at the same time as the fish. How did you get this?"

"Well remember when I babysat for Mr. Big's daughter last week? Well they had several bottles, and asked if I wanted one. One bottle lasts that family almost a month. So I said I'd take one. Mr. Big knows how much you like them."

"That's amazing. Remind me to thank him tomorrow."

"Of course."

Nick bit into his salmon, nervous. As a bunny, Judy never ate fish, and he had always cooked his own when they had it, so she had very little experience cooking fish. It was perfectly cooked and seasoned to perfection.

"Carrots, when did you learn to cook fish like this?"

"I've been watching a lot of cooking channels on Zootube. I wanted to make it right for you. Is it good?"

"The best fish I have ever had. You've been planning this since dinner with Ron, haven't you?"

'Well, a day or so afterwards. You just seemed so down. I wanted to show you that what you said didn't change anything between us and that it didn't make me love you less. If anything, I love you more."

Nick put down his fork and got up from the table, pulling Judy into a fierce hug.

"Thank you so much Judy. You mean everything to me."

She giggled and wiped a tear from her eye. "Finish your fish and i have one more surprise for you."

Judy marveled as Nicks fish vanished in moments. Nick never could wait for a surprise, she thought to herself. She had Nick close his eyes and wait at the table. She went and got the cooler from the freezer, and scooped some of what was inside into a small bowl. Planting a kiss on Nick's lips when she came back to the table he started, then quickly leaned in for another kiss.

"Ah ah ah. Not quite yet. Open your mouth and keep your eyes closed."

Nick obediently opened his mouth and chuckled lightly. She popped a small spoonful from the bowl into his mouth and he gasped and moaned softly as he chewed.

"Judy that can't possibly be blueberry gelato."

"Open your eyes."

Nick opened his eyes to see a small bowl of bright purple gelato in front of him. He looked at Judy confusedly.

"But Carrots, this stuff has been impossible to get since Zootopia banned the importation of foreign goods last year." Zootopia had been bringing in gelato and other products from countries overseas, until a war had broken out. Zootopia wanted no part in the war, so they banned all trade from overseas and all products that had come in. Judy winked at nick, knowing how upset he had been that the blueberry gelato had all gone.

"Well, I asked Mr. Big to pull some strings and he managed to get me a pint of it. I owe him one, but there is a whole pint in the freezer."

"I never thought I would see the day. You, a ZPD officer and generally upright citizen, went to a well-known crime boss, to get an illegal substance, just for me. IM touched, Carrots. I really am."

"Oh shut up and eat your ice cream" Judy replied, blushing deeply.

"Gelato", Nick retorted, mumbling through a mouthful of the sweet treat.

After dessert, Judy gave nick a massage, her gentle paws pushing all the tension from his neck and shoulders. Nick rolled over after she was done and pulled her down next to him, pulling her into a hug so tight she thought he was trying to wrestle with her. She was about to push him away when she felt a sob wrack his body. She quickly rolled over and pulled his head to her chest, stroking the fur between his ears softly.

"What's wrong?" she asked, scared that she had messed something up during dinner.

"I… can't remember being this happy since my mom died." Nick said quietly, voice husky through tears.

"Oh nick, I'll always do anything I can to make you happy. I'd do anything for you. I love you that much."

Nick was quiet for such a long time that Judy thought he had fallen asleep. She started when he quickly sat up and turned her to face him. She was concerned to see a very serious look in his eyes, as he grabbed something from the drawer in his nightstand.

"Judy, I know that I can be a bit of an ass sometimes. Don't roll your eyes at me," nick chuckled as Judy stuck her tongue out at him. "But I love you more than I have ever loved anyone. I love you more than I ever thought I COULD love anyone. I know that I'm hard to live with sometimes, but you make me feel like I can be something important. You make me feel worth something, and you make me happy, and all of those things are things I never felt before you." Judy's eyes went huge as nick pulled a small black box out from behind his back. "I wanted to do this in some fancy, extravagant way, but this feels like it means more this way." Nick slid off the bed and got down on one knee.

"Judy Hopps, you make me whole. You make me more than me, and you make me want to be the best man I can. So will you make me the happiest man in Zootopia and marry me?"

Nick opened the box and inside sat a small gold ring, the perfect size for a bunny hand. She gasped at the brilliant blue and green opal set in the top. Inside the ring was an inscription. She turned her head to read it and burst into tears as she read out loud:

"The way is long. Let us go together."

She Hugged nick hard, tackling him to the ground and making him laugh with joy.

"Oh nick! Of course I will!"

Nick let out a wild whoop and laughed at her, tears streaming down his face as he kissed her again and again, as if he could never get enough. She kissed him back and their tears met, happy to be together. Judy pulled back after a moment and looked at nick with a worried expression.

"What is it?" Nick asked, suddenly concerned.

"Clawhauser is literally going to explode when he finds out." Judy replied, in a deadly serious tone.

Nick laughed so hard that he cried. And smiled, that for once, his tears were happy.


End file.
